


Carpe Diem

by pippiblondestocking



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2013-12-16
Packaged: 2018-01-04 21:32:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pippiblondestocking/pseuds/pippiblondestocking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU. Katniss Everdeen hates being lonely during the holidays, so she joins OKCupid. Little did she know that losing a dear friend and answering a silly message would lead to an unforgettable lesson in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carpe Diem

_“I DON’T CARE, I LOVE IT!”_ Katniss Everdeen shot straight up on her couch, her iPhone vibrating behind her pillow. _Damn that ringtone!_ She looked around her apartment living room, blearily rubbing her eyes and squinting in the bright sun. She didn’t really remember getting home last night, but she certainly remembered the sketchy guys at the Mexican dive bar paying for their dinner. Reaching down, she grabbed her Gatorade and started chugging the neon yellow liquid like it was life itself.

“Hey there, sunshine,” Johanna said from behind her, smirking from the bedroom door.

“’Sup, slut,” Katniss yawned. Johanna looked even worse off than she did, her short dark hair sticking out every which way. Katniss Everdeen is nothing if not an obsessive compulsive little drunk, and she had plaited her hair before bed, washed her face, and brushed her teeth.  She probably even took Motrin and drank a bottle of water. She had no idea how they staggered home from the bar to her apartment, but here they were.

“Haymitch is still passed out, want to grab brunch?” Johanna said. It wasn’t really a question. Of course Katniss wanted to get brunch. She nodded and stood up. 

“How’d you guys sleep? What time did Haymitch get in?” Katniss mused as she rummaged around in her armoire.

“Ehhh, I think he got in at like two or three,” Johanna replied. Katniss tugged on a pair of leggings and a tee shirt that read “I love Bangkok.”

“Really not appropriate, Everdeen,” Johanna sighed as Katniss stuffed her feet into a pair of black Uggs.

“It’s clean and it’s not like I’m wearing it to the funeral,” Katniss sighed.

“Fair enough,” Johanna shrugged. “You ready to roll?” 

“Yup, let’s just walk to the place down the street,” Katniss nodded.

* * *

The girls began the short walk from the apartment to the restaurant. Katniss relished the comfortable silence between herself and Johanna. Usually, they were a mile a minute, kicking ass and taking names, but not today.

Johanna and her husband, Haymitch, were in town from Richmond because a dear mutual friend, Cinna, had passed away. He had been on a business trip to Thailand with his fiancée, Portia, and had a massive heart attack from a drug overdose. He passed right before Thanksgiving. And here they were, a couple of weeks from Christmas, heading to his DC memorial service. Cinna was originally from San Diego, but he made his mark on Washington.  Katniss met him at Johanna and Haymitch’s wedding where she was a bridesmaid and Cinna a groomsman, and they hit it off famously. He worked for the IMF, and Katniss worked for the State department. They went on a couple of dates—nothing serious—but became quick friends.  They loved to go out on U Street and in Adams Morgan, and sometimes they went to H Street just to make fun of the hipsters.

She just didn’t know how to process his death. How could someone so young and healthy and happy just suddenly be gone? How was she going to fill this sudden gaping void in her life?

This wasn’t the first time Katniss had lost someone during the holidays. Ten years ago, her father and kid sister, Prim, were killed in a car crash as they drove down to college to pick Katniss up for winter break. Katniss would never forgive herself. The holidays just made her melancholy intolerable. And her mother certainly never recovered and provided little solace to the grieving daughter and sister. Katniss was so tired of mourning.

Johanna and Katniss settled into an open booth and smiled warmly at the attractive young waiter. 

“May I get you young ladies anything to drink this morning?” he said with a smile and a wink.

“Yeah, two bloody marys, one with gin, the other with vodka. This broad is weird,” Johanna said, jerking her thumb at Katniss.

Katniss rolled her eyes, “And two coffees, please? Thanks.” The waiter nodded and bustled off. A young couple with a baby came in and Katniss and Johanna made the same disgusted face. 

“It’s so rude,” Johanna muttered. “Leave your fuck trophies at home so the rest of us can nurse our hangovers in peace.”

“For real,” Katniss said, “Couldn’t they just make Bisquik at home?”

“Preach,” Johanna snorted.

A e-mail from OKCupid popped up on Katniss’ iPhone. She sheepishly unlocked her phone and took at look at the message from BestBuns1983. 

“How are you doing this morning?” it read. Katniss pursed her lips. 

Johanna chuckled. “Did you really join OKCupid? Jesus, Everdeen. Your pussy’s not pulling it in at bars anymore?” Katniss shrugged.

“Dude, it’s hard to meet guys when you work all the time. And the guys you meet at bars in DC are assholes,” Katniss said, trying to justify her foray into the world of online dating. 

“Excuses, Everdeen,” Johanna tisked. “What about the banker? The one we went to school with?”

“We are just fucking, it’s not serious. He doesn’t want to settle down and I don’t want to marry a frat boy. I already feel like I should be on _To Catch a Predator_.”

“He’s twenty-seven, he’s not a baby, Kat.”

“Well, we can’t all meet Mr. Haymitch Abernathy at a frat party in the Fan, now can we?” Katniss shot back.

The waiter came with their drinks, and the girls placed their orders, and Katniss sucked the bloody mary into her mouth. _Ah, gin. Sweet, sweet gin._

Johanna wasn’t going to let sleeping dogs lie. “You joined because you’re lonely,” she remarked, stirring cream and Splenda into her coffee. “ _Ronery, I’m so ronery—_ “ Johanna began to sing before Katniss put the kibosh on it.

“Yeah, so fucking what? The holidays make me feel lonely, Mason. I’m only human. Everyone else is meeting that special someone and here I am, rubbing one out and drinking boxed wine,” Katniss defensively whined.

Yes, the holidays made Katniss dreadfully lonely. Her mother was local, but worked for a high-powered health insurance lobbyist on K Street and was distant at best. Her best friend, Gale Hawthorne, had been deployed to Afghanistan last summer, and he and his wife, Madge, were expecting their second baby. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were the hardest time for Katniss Everdeen. She was intensely jealous when she saw happy people with their happy friends and happy families, and she wondered why she couldn’t find that, too. Katniss just wanted to come home to a nice boy at the end of the day and eat dinner with him and watch Netflix and then fuck his brains out. That sounded nice. But she wasn’t going to find him by going to bars and pounding shots.

So yes, she joined OKCupid because she wanted to meet someone to share those stupid little mundane things with. And she never felt better or worse about herself. As an attractive woman in her late twenties with a job with benefits and no kids or previous marriages, she felt like the Holy Grail with a vagina made of gold. Men contacted her with messages all the time. She ignored three quarters of them and blocked them immediately. She was a bitch and didn’t care, she was never going to meet 95% of these schmucks anyway. The men she replied to were attractive, and they had to have a few things going for them: no kids, no previous marriages, a job with benefits, no living with parents, and a college degree. Oh, and no Hokies. If they could pass that litmus test, Katniss would message them back.

She kept looking at her iPhone, wondering what she should say.

“Are you going to reply to him or not?” Johanna snapped, grabbing Katniss’ phone. “Aw shit, he’s HOT, Everdeen. Better nail this one down!”

BestBuns1983 was pretty cute, if Katniss had to say so herself. He was very blond and blue-eyed in his pictures, and of medium height with a stocky build. His profile told Katniss that he had wrestled in high school and college.

“Yeah, I’m going to reply, give me the fucking phone back,” Katniss snarled just as the baby behind them started to wail. Johanna gave the parents the worst look ever, and the young mother scurried out as Katniss worried her bottom lip and wondered what to say.

“Jesus H. Christ, it’s a message, not the great American short novel. Send him a dick pic or something,” Johanna laughed. Katniss brushed her off.

“Hey there! We’re pretty hungover, but brunch should help with that. It’s going to be a rough day, so we really need it,” Tubers2007 replied.

“There. Done. Leave me the fuck alone,” Katniss sighed. Johanna gave her a thumbs up and drained her bloody mary.

“Thank you sir, may I have another?” Johanna cooed when the waiter brought their food, shaking the ice in her glass a bit. The waiter laughed. “Bangin’, you couldn’t pay me to go this thing sober,” Johanna groaned.

Katniss agreed. “Yeah, speaking of sober, can I have an Adderall? I think I’m actually physically dying.”

“Sure thing, can I have a Klonopin?”

“Is the Pope Catholic?”

“Last I heard he was a Marxist.”

“Done. Thanks, boo.” Johanna handed her the little muted orange pill and Katniss popped it right there, throwing her head back quickly.  _Just like her mother._  

“Not going to snort it this time?” Johanna asked, shocked. Katniss shook her head.

“No way, man. Today I actually need the extended release,” Katniss reasoned.

“Ja feel,” Johanna said and dug into her burger and fries. The two ate quietly, shooting dirty looks at the parents who wouldn’t leave even though their kid clearly wasn’t having it. 

“No breeding,” Katniss remarked. “People our age are fucking shitty people, you know that?”

“Peasants,” Johanna replied. “Are you going to eat your bacon?” Katniss slammed her fork between her plate and Johanna’s hand.

“Not so fast, fat ass. We aren’t near a Sears if you can’t fit into your funeral dress,” Katniss snarked.

“Fair enough,” Johanna giggled. “Can we get the check? And bring this girl a shot of Jäger!”

A new message popped across her phone screen.

“What are your plans for the day?” BestBuns1983 asked.

“Funeral. What are you doing?” Tubers2007 replied instantly.

“Wow, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you need anything?” BestBuns1983 messaged.

“No, I’ll be fine. My best friends from university are in town, we’ll be okay. I would just much rather be in bed drinking,” Tubers2007 said.

“I’d much rather have you be in my bed, cuddling,” BestBun1983 declared. Katniss giggled.

“Oh yeah?” Tubers2007 asked.

“Yeah, and it’s an open invitation,” BestBuns1983 offered.

“Alright, well, my number is 703-867-5309. Holla atcha guidette,” Tubers2007 answered.

Katniss’ iPhone immediately popped up with a 202-number. “Hey, this is Peeta, aka BestBuns1983.”

“IS HE TEXTING YOU?” Johanna shrieked.

“Fuck yeah,” Katniss nodded, smiling broadly.

“Well, this is Katniss, aka Tubers2007. Wanna party?” she texted back, hoping she didn’t come off as desperate for replying so soon. 

Within thirty seconds, this Peeta fellow sent her a picture of his shoulders and chest, lying in bed with a big smile across his stupidly good-looking face. “Wanna join me?”

“AW SHIT, LET THE DICK PICS COMMENCE!” Johanna yelled. “What do you say to that, Everdeen?” Katniss smirked.

“Mason, you know I keep a folder of naked pictures in my phone for this sole purpose. You’ve taken a couple of them for me. Gotta stay fresh to death,” Katniss replied as she chose a picture of her breasts looking particularly bronzed and perky. She tapped send and high-fived Johanna.

“Everdeen, only you would keep a folder dedicated solely to sexting in your photo library,” Johanna laughed.

“I’m a taxpayer and a patriot,” Katniss said solemnly. She took the shot of Jäger and put it back, letting the ice-cold liquid coat her tongue and throat. She threw her head back and it sank down. “Ready to go?”

“Locked and loaded.”

* * *

 

A couple of hours later, the gang piled into Haymitch’s Volvo. Katniss and Johanna sat in the back so they could drink the Virginia Gentleman they found in Katniss’ pantry.

“Of course we are pre-gaming the funeral,” Johanna told Haymitch hotly. Haymitch’s eyes were puffy and swollen, and Katniss knew he’d been crying while they’d been brunching and making fun of humanity. 

“Wish I could fucking drink,” Haymitch snarled. “Cinna was like a brother to me.” Katniss choked up as she wrapped her arms around Haymitch’s broad waist and he planted a kiss on her forehead.

“It’ll be okay, Natty,” Johanna said, wrapping her arms around the two of them. “Natty” was Jo’s pet name for Haymitch, from his last name, “Abernathy.”

Now they all sat in the car and Johanna and Katniss pulled from the bottle and Haymitch swore as the car took its sweet damn time warming up.

“I want to pick the music,” Katniss declared, grabbing the iPod and scrolling through Haymitch’s music.

“No shitty pop, got it, Everdeen?” Haymitch whined.

“Fuck that, Natty,” Katniss sneered as she turned on the Stones. 

They sat in traffic on 395, trying to get into the city. Johanna finally broke down and took Katniss’ Klonopin, letting it melt on her tongue so that she would feel it faster. Katniss just kept thinking about the ride to her father and sister’s funeral, sitting with her grandparents and comatose mother, as they drove to Pittsburgh. It was snowing and sleeting that day, too.  And then Katniss would think about Cinna, and a wave of sadness would crash upon her, and even Keith Richards couldn’t rouse her. 

“I told you, we should have taken 66 to Rock Creek, but noooo, don’t listen to the broad who lives here” Katniss moaned as she took her own Klonopin with a shot of bourbon.

“No one listens to Italian hobbits,” Haymitch sneered. “Drink your bourbon.”

Haymitch and Johanna put the windows down so they could smoke, and the cold, brisk wet, air kept Katniss awake and made her feel alive. _Yes, you’re still here_ , it told her.

When they finally arrived at the Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle, Haymitch and Johanna had already gotten into a fight about dinner (where to go after the ceremony), where to park (valet, duh), and what to get Haymitch’s niece for Christmas. Katniss’ head was warm and swimming in Virginia mountain spirits as she got out of the car and tottered to the lobby in her four-inch heels. _Why the fuck did I wear these shoes?_ she groused internally as she fell into the Christmas tree.

In fact, Katniss came to the conclusion that these holiday decorations and Christmas music were making her even more upset, if that was even possible. Her iPhone vibrated in her pocket, reminding her to silence it before the service,

“Hey, how are you holding up?” Peeta said simply. A small smile came to Katniss’ face.

“Holding in there. Service starts soon. Be back in a couple of hours,” she pounded out on the keyboard. _How thoughtful_. Then she went to the OKCupid app to scour this Peeta’s profile. His pictures made him look like an extremely attractive, active, social thirty year old. He said he was an engineer by day and a wrestler by night, and that he liked to bake and tutored kids on the weekend. 

 _This guy is too good to be true, what’s the catch? Is he a fucking saint? Vow of celibacy? Raging herpes?_ Katniss wondered. _This is weird and creepy, I am STALKING this guy, and I haven’t even met him. And I am at my friend’s funeral! What kind of terrible human being am I?!_  

But Katniss didn’t have time to answer her own question, because Johanna and Haymitch were ready to go in. Katniss smiled, and stood between Jo and Haymitch and took their hands in hers.

They walked in as a team, and Katniss immediately recognized Finnick Odair and his wife, Annie Cresta. Katniss met them through Cinna, and she was more grateful now than ever that Cinna had brought these beautiful people into her life.

“It’s so good to see you, Katniss,” Finnick cried as he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Same to you, Finnick,” Katniss wept into his shoulder. Finnick was also from Southern California, and even after years in the northeast, he still smelled like the beach. “I just wish it were under better circumstances,” she sniffed. Finnick nodded as Annie came forward to hug Katniss, her large pregnant stomach pressed against Katniss as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

“Annie, when is this bambino going to come into the world and stop making you the size of a small banana republic?” Johanna joked. Annie dissolved into laughter.

“Later rather than sooner, I guess,” Annie replied as she patted her stomach. “Who knows, it could be today,” she said with a smile as she wiped her eyes. _I guess life really does just keep going, doesn’t it?_ Katniss thought.

“At least there are a lot of doctors around if you pop a leak,” Katniss quipped to deflect the sudden rise in her desire to express feelings. She spotted Portia, Cinna’s fiancée, and she went to her to offer her condolences. Portia hugged her and Katniss wondered how this beautiful, strong woman had the power to keep going. Portia said that Cinna would never want her to stop living her life or following her dreams. It was so simple and so true and so powerful that Katniss burst into tears again right there.

“Fucking Christ, Everdeen, lock it up,” Johanna muttered as she passed to go to their seats. “C’mon, it’s going to start soon.” The ladies found their seats, and Haymitch joined them, his face as cold as stone.

And they sat there, three birds in a murder of crows as the service began. Katniss squeezed Johanna’s hand, and braced herself for the onslaught of emotions.

* * *

 

Even as Katniss sat through the ceremony and remembered her wonderful friend, her eyes kept drifting down to her purse and iPhone. _Has Peeta texted me? Is he ignoring me? Did I come on too strong, too soon? Do you think he still wants to snuggle? Am I the worst person in the world? How can I be thinking about a boy at a funeral?!_

Haymitch and Finnick stood up to gather the Man Council—their group of friends from college and grad school—as Portia and Mags, Cinna’s grandmother, passed out shots of rye.

Haymitch cleared his throat, and tears flowed freely from his grey eyes. Katniss listened to him, but everything was taking on a distinctly tinny, bright quality as she sank into depression. She was trying so hard to stay positive, but it was so difficult.

“Look, the short end of a long story is that Cinna would be the happiest man on the face of the planet right now, surrounded by his friends and family. His passing doesn’t change us. A part of Cinna is in all of us, and we are so lucky. Cinna always seized the moment— _carpe diem_. Or perhaps it’s better to say _carpe occasio_. Live in the moment, this moment, because you are never going to get it back. You only get one shot. Take a risk, take a chance, because the only thing you can regret is not doing it at all. He wants all of us to live and live well, and sometimes that means living on the edge,” Haymitch said evenly, wrapping an arm around Finnick and another around Beetee. “Just do it. Be wild. Take that trip. Go to that bar. Take that shot. Eat that weird streetfood in Baja. Stand on a mountain in Nepal and peer off the edge. Stay out all night. Because you only get one shot.” _You only get one shot_ , the words bounced around in Katniss’ head as she stroked Jo’s arm for comfort. A collective sob went through the audience. 

“Let’s take this shot, for Cinna, because it’s what he would want to be doing right now,” Finnick said, raising his shot glass, and everyone followed. Katniss and Johanna tipped their heads back, linked arms, and let the warm brown liquid into their hearts.

“Alight, now it’s time for the party, y’all,” Chaff announced. “That’s how Cinna rolled.” Everyone laughed. It felt so good to laugh, and it bubbled out of Katniss.

She finally looked down at her phone.

“How’s it going?” Peeta said, at 3:30 pm. 

“Is that invitation still open? I could really go for some snuggling,” Katniss replied without missing a beat.

“Dude, time for the open bar and hors d’oeuvres, get your shit together,” Johanna hissed.

Katniss went to the buffet and started filling her plate with pita and hummus and cheese and cocktail wieners and coconut shrimp. She started stuffing her face with one hand and pounding red wine with the other at a table as she made awkward conversation with Seeder and Cecelia, two women from the IMF.

“Sure thing, come on over. Where are you?” Peeta texted back immediately. Katniss swallowed all of the food in her mouth as she pumped her fist in the air. Seeder and Cecelia gave her a peculiar look, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m in Dupont, where do you live?” Katniss texted.

“Connecticut Ave in Cleveland Park. Should I come to you, or…?” Peeta broached.

“See you in fifteen,” Katniss texted, finishing her wine with one gulp. “Haymitch, Johanna, come out with me real quick,” she yelled.

They grabbed their jackets as Katniss requested a car on Uber, and they stood outside under the awning.

“So you are seriously going to this guy’s house, to bone? You’ve never even met him!” Johanna said, taking a long drag on her cigarette.

“Yup,” Katniss nodded. “Don’t judge me.”

“Any particular reason?” Haymitch asked.

“I need to live in the moment and take a risk and just live my life, because we are all so lucky to still be here!” Katniss exclaimed. “I don’t want to miss anything anymore.”

Haymitch and Johanna nodded.

“We’re young and we’re alive and have our whole lives ahead of us, and I don’t know, just thinking about Cinna and the way he lived his life, he would want me to go do this. He said _carpe diem_ , and that is exactly what I am doing,” Katniss explained frantically.

“It’s more like _carpe dick_ , but whatever, Everdeen, you’re right,” Johanna agreed.

“True, Cinna would be egging you on to go, Everdeen. He was always up for some good old fashioned enabling,” Haymitch said.

“I’m not looking for your approval,” Katniss said. The black car pulled up.

“Go get that D, girl,” Johanna said, saluting Katniss as she hopped in the cab.

“3700 Connecticut, my good man,” Katniss reminded the driver and he gave her a smile.

“Good luck, girl on fire,” the man told Katniss as she hopped out at her destination. She gave him a wink, and darted into the lobby.

* * *

 

Peeta had apparently told the front desk that she was coming, and they let her right in. She started hyperventilating in the elevator as she went to his floor. _WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING? THIS IS HOW HORROR MOVIES START, EVERDEEN. YOU ARE GOING TO GET MURDERED. GODFUCKINGDAMMIT._  

But it was too late. She was in front of his door. _She was committed._ So she knocked. And when he opened the door in a white tee shirt and grey sweatpants, she let out a sigh of relief. He looked exactly like his picture.

“Peeta?” she said, stepping into his foyer.

“Katniss?” Peeta said with a smile, helping her get her jacket off.

“That’s m---,” Katniss began, but was cut off by Peeta’s mouth on hers. “Oh,” she sighed into his kiss as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed her against the wall.

“Hey there,” Peeta nipped against her skin, his hands going to her breasts as her head fell back. _Damn, he’s good with his hands_ , Katniss thought as she ran her hands through his blond curls. He slipped a hand up her dress and started pushing her panty hose down as hot wet heat rushed to Katniss’ core.

“Can we go to the bedroom?” she managed to get out as he ground his hips against her. He nodded, and grabbed her hand, and led her down the hall.

Katniss recognized his bed from the picture, and she lay down. He smiled at her, crawling between her legs and kissing her softly. The next thing she knew, her dress was on the floor, and she was tugging his shirt over his head. He rolled over, and now she was on top as he unhooked her bra, kissing her the whole time. She eagerly let his tongue into her mouth, and she moaned when she felt his erection. 

“Oh God, Peeta, I don’t… usually do this,” Katniss groaned as his bare hands spread over her breasts. His blue eyes locked onto hers, and he kissed her softly. “Are you clean and shit? You don’t have anything? Do you have condoms?” _There you go ruining the moment, Katniss_. _This is why you are forever alone._

“Yes, and yes,” Peeta sighed into her chest as Katniss clutched his hair. “Thanks for checking, heh.” Katniss nodded. 

Peeta needily latched onto her breasts with his hot, wet mouth, flicking her nipple with his tongue. She couldn’t stop looking at his long blond lashes against her olive skin, and she sighed contentedly.

Now Peeta was on top, his cock straining against the sweatpants, and Katniss pushing her hips into his, looking for release. He slipped a hand into her underwear, between her legs, immediately seeking out her clit and rubbing fast, tight circles into it, finding her nub between his fingertips. Katniss cried out in pleasure, and Peeta’s mouth left hers and suckled her breasts as her knees started to shake. He pulled off her thong, and fingered her gently, never stopping rubbing circles on her clit.

“You’re so wet, you’ve been thinking about this all day, haven’t you?” he said softly, looking down at her. Katniss let out a long cry and the blood rushed to her loins as Peeta inserted a second finger, curling them inside her and sliding down her walls. 

“Peeta, yes, ughhh,” Katniss cried out as she felt herself constrict against his fingers.

“What do you need Katniss?” Peeta said huskily.

“Make me come,” she wailed frantically, cupping his face with her hands. He returned his attention to her clit and breasts, his pale skin becoming quickly flushed.

“No, Peeta, please, I need you inside of me,” Katniss whimpered, bucking against his hand. Peeta’s pants were off in a moment, and his cock sprang out to full attention. He scrambled up the bed and positioned himself against her slit, coating his tip with her juices. His mouth reclaimed hers as he pushed into her, and Katniss let out a cry of relief as he sank into her.

“Fuck, Katniss, you are so tight,” Peeta moaned into her mouth, kissing the tip of her nose. “You feel so good, I don’t know how long I can last…” He pulled out and pushed back in again, trying to find a comfortable rhythm, and pulled her hips flush to his.

“It’s so good, Peeta, we can do it again,” Katniss whined as she let her body find his. He kissed her deeply, wet kisses that made Katniss burn everywhere. 

“Put your legs around my waist,” he instructed her delicately, and when she accommodated him, he slammed into her. 

“Oh, Peeta, please, deeper!” Katniss writhed, squeezing her eyes shut. He was hitting that spot deep within her, so deep that Katniss could never find it herself and had only been lucky with a few other guys. Peeta obliged and slowed down his thrusts, his gaze meeting hers.

“How’s that?” he whispered against her lips. 

“So good,” she said, wrapped her arms around her neck. She flexed her walls against his member, and she started shaking from her impending orgasm.

“I can’t last any longer,” he sighed against her lips. She nodded and he let out a groan and shuddered deep inside her. She felt him spill inside her, and he collapse onto her from the effort. She pushed his damp hair off his forehead and kissed him softly. Peeta rolled off of her and pulled her against him.

* * *

 

“That was nice,” she said. He nodded.

“Is that what you were looking for?” Peeta asked, pressing a kiss to her hair, running his fingers through her raven tresses.

“Yeah, I think so, I couldn’t keep my mind off it all day,” Katniss mused, playing with his chest hair.

“You were at a funeral, and you were thinking about fucking me?” Peeta joked.

“Yeah, what were you thinking about?” Katniss retorted, suddenly embarrassed.

“How horny I was and how much I wanted you with me, all day. How I could make you feel better, even if only for a little while,” Peeta said with a smile. Now Katniss blushed furiously. 

“You’re on the pill or something, right?” Peeta said nervously. “I really should have asked before I put it in…” Katniss shook her head and kissed his hand.

“I’m on the pill, don’t worry, took it a couple of hours ago,” Katniss answered. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t. And condoms are overrated, anyway.”

“You do this a lot?” Peeta inquired.

“Nope, this is my first time. I only joined OKCupid a week ago, just to see how it feels,” she said, her hand sliding down his stomach to his dick.

“Ohhh,” he said, seizing up as she stroked him. “You’ve been very lucky, then.”

Katniss giggled. “I’m not very good at making new friends,” she offered up lamely. “How else are you supposed to meet people?”

Peeta shrugged. “Not sure. I think you’re pretty good at making new friends.”

“Oh yeah? What about you? What’s your excuse?” Katniss cracked. 

Peeta laughed, and then sucked in a deep breath as Katniss’ finger circled his tip and found his slit. “Uh, I just want to meet new girls. I’m busy, you know,” he groaned.

“Uh huh,” Katniss smirked, “and I suppose getting your dick wet is a perk?” Peeta grunted and rolled Katniss onto her back.

“This is a plus,” he sighed as she opened up to him and spread her thighs and he plunged into her. He buried his face against the skin of her neck.

Katniss couldn’t even form words as she dug her nails into the soft skin of Peeta’s freckled shoulders, he felt so indescribably good. His cock was a perfect fit, and she could feel her wetness slipping out of her.

“God, Katniss, how are you so fucking tight?” he wailed into her mouth as he roughly kissed her, his tongue against hers. Katniss just replied by planting her feet to the bed and angling her hips up. Peeta brought his mouth to her breasts again, sucking harder and faster, letting her nipple go with a satisfying pop. _I hope he leaves marks_ , Katniss hoped.

She felt her orgasm coming as she cried into his mouth, her walls clamping down on him as he filled her again and again, growing bigger and bigger. She could feel his balls tighten, and he brought a hand to her clit, the friction between their bodies creating a delicious heat that brought Katniss to pants and scream. She cried out his name as her orgasm ripped through her body, shaking against him. She kissed him, and he worried her bottom lip between his.

“Let go, Peeta,” she whispered into his ear, as he roughly hoisted her ankles around his shoulders and pounded into her with reckless abandon. His eyes squeezed shut tightly. She felt him explode inside her and he rested his forehead against hers.

“Jesus, Katniss, you’re going to milk me for all I’m worth,” he sighed as he sank onto his side of the bed and pulled her to him again.

* * *

“Think you’re up for round three?” Katniss asked greedily. Peeta chuckled.

“I’m thirty, Katniss. I don’t get it up again as quickly as I used to. I’m surprised round two happened so fast.” Katniss wrinkled her nose like a rabbit.

“That’s a plus for girls, we’re always ready,” Katniss said. Peeta nodded. “So, what do you do in real life?” she asked as he pulled the covers around them.

“I’m an electrical engineer,” he replied simply. “Exciting stuff. What do you do?" 

“I work for the man,” Katniss said with a huff. She didn’t want to talk about her terrible job or her terrible boss or her functional alcoholism. Peeta laughed. 

“Where’d you grow up?” he continued.

“The suburbs,” she sighed as she kissed his chest.

“Me too. Where’d you go to school?”

“Bishop O'Connell. You?”

“Ha. Bullis.”

“Ew, I only fuck boys from St. Albans,” Katniss jokingly pushed him away.

“Oh really?” Peeta said as he pinned her arms above her head and teased her nipple with his tongue. “So what are you doing here?" 

“Rebelling against my Catholic upbringing?” Katniss moaned, clutching his hair and writhing beneath him.

Peeta smiled and leaned against her.

“What do you do in your free time?” he asked.

“I like to read and I like to play softball and I like to go out,” Katniss said, unevenly as her breath came out in huffs as he suckled her fervently.

“I bake and I teach kids how to play basketball on Thursdays.” _How perfect is he? Is he fucking kidding?_

“That sounds nice,” Katniss said, without an ounce of cattiness. She let her hand drift down, and she came in contact with his rigid cock.

“Looks like round three is happening anyway,” Peeta moaned as he rolled onto his back and pulled Katniss on top of him.

Katniss smiled and positioned his tip and his opening, and sank down. _JESUS H. FUCKING CHRIST, this is perfect_ , she thought as she cried out and brought her lips down to kiss Peeta. His hips thrust up against his. She leaned over his chest and he captured her breast with his lips, bringing his hands up to caress her nipples as she rode him with abandon.

“Oh, Peeta! You’re perfect!” Katniss cried into his mouth, panting heavily. And he was perfect. His cock was the perfect fit for her, like God had sent him into the world to fill one sole purpose—her vagina.

As she rose and sank down over and over again, their legs locked behind her, and Peeta’s hands came to rest on her ass, squeezing her cheeks with a satisfied grunt.

Her clit was hitting his pubic bone at the perfect place, and she didn’t even need to touch herself as she felt herself reaching orgasm again. Peeta smacked her ass, and Katniss wailed out in pleasure.

“Did you like that, Katniss?” Peeta growled, pulling her down for a sloppy kiss. 

“Yes,” she said into his mouth as his hand made contact with her cheek again, with a sounding _crack_.

“Don’t give me anymore ideas, I don’t think I can handle it,” Peeta moaned as he pushed hard against her hips. 

Katniss came undone at that very moment, and dropped her hand behind her and firmly grasped his ball sack in her hand, giving it a tender squeeze and a gentle rub.

Peeta frantically flipped them over and pushed her thighs apart and disappeared inside of her as Katniss let go, meeting him stroke for stroke. His thrusts were now erratic and sweat was dripping off his hair and onto her face. His skin slapping hers was the most beautiful sound Katniss had ever heard. She kissed him, roughly, and tugged on his hair. 

“I’m coming,” he murmured and Katniss tightened her legs around his waist as he rode out his orgasm. Peeta smiled and pushed her hair away from her face and peppered Katniss with kisses.

* * *

“That was awesome,” he sighed contentedly as he pulled her into his arms.

“Five stars, would definitely recommend,” Katniss snarked as she wound her fingers in his.

“I’ve never take a shower before I’ve gone to the gym,” Peeta said, kissing Katniss gently with a grin. “That was a great cardio workout." 

“Oh yeah?” Katniss grinned. She couldn’t help it.

He bit his lip and nodded.

“Seriously though, I want to go to the gym before this holiday party,” Peeta said shyly almost, like he felt guilty. Katniss sat up and stretched.

“Yup, I need to get back to this funeral,” she added with a nod.

“Do you think your friend would be happy that you dipped out of his funeral to get laid?” Peeta called from the shower as Katniss put her clothes back on. 

“Cinna wanted us to all live in the moment,” Katniss replied. “He would have wanted this for sure.” Katniss texted Johanna and Haymitch to let them know she was coming back. She ordered a taxi. She sat down awkwardly on his couch and watched the Army-Navy game as Peeta finished his shower.

“Who are you rooting for?” he shouted from the bathroom.

“Navy,” Katniss said mindlessly. Her mind was starting to race after what she had just done. _What did this boy mean to her? Did it mean anything?_

“Good choice,” he replied, coming out of the shower and pulling on his workout clothes. _Yup, definitely a wrestler,_ Katniss thought. “Any reason?”

“My grandfather was a captain the Navy. Call it tradition,” Katniss replied, her voice sounding hollow.

“Did you call a cab?” Peeta asked, toweling off his hair. His sweatpants hung sexily off his hips and Katniss felt that hunger again.

“Yup, it’s en route,” Katniss said, a little too cheerfully. _Don’t let him know how you really feel. Lock it up. NO YOU LOCK IT UP._ She didn’t really want to go. She put her Yankee hat on so that her hair wouldn’t get ruined in the rain.

Peeta looked alarmed. “You can stay here while the car is coming,” he said with concern in his voice. Luckily, at that moment, the driver called and Katniss let out a sigh of relief. She went to the door, ducked out, then reconsidered. She popped back in and marched over to him on his couch, and kissed him again, hard into his mouth. 

“I’ll call you, okay?” he said. “We’ll be in touch.” 

“Okay,” she nodded, “be safe tonight? In this nasty weather and such?”

“Always.” Peeta kissed her long and hard, and caressed her cheek thoughtfully. Katniss smiled and kissed his cheek, leaving for real this time. 

Katniss let herself out the lobby and the driver opened the door. She shivered as she sank into the black leather seats. _What in the fuck did I just do?_ She fumbled in her purse for a Xanax.

“Did you have a good day?” the driver asked casually. 

“Yeah, I think so. _Carpe diem_ ,” Katniss replied as they sped off down Connecticut Avenue and a happy, warm blush spread across her body. The driver nodded knowingly. Katniss shook her hair down out of her baseball cap and slicked on some lip gloss (ModelCo Showgirl Red), smiling at her flushed face in the rearview mirror.

“Indeed.” Katniss tucked her phone away and readied herself for round two.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the Prompts in Panem: Holidays in Panem fanfic challenge, but I guess slipping it in at 11:58 pm Eastern Standard Time per the rules wasn’t acceptable, so it didn’t get included. Whose dick do I have to suck around here? I do mouth stuff! Anyway, Happy Holidays!
> 
> Disclaimer: The Hunger Games belong to Ms. Suzanne Collins, Scholastic, and Lionsgate Entertainment. I Love It belongs to Icona Pop and the summer of 2013.
> 
> Thanks to: deathmallow and starkist <3


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